Playoff would clear up flawed field of contenders

It seems odd that after a season defined by upsets and top-of-the-polls flux, the debate over the BCS title game is muted.

Today's scenario is strikingly straightforward. If Missouri (BCS No. 1) beats Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship and West Virginia (BCS No. 2) beats Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl, the two teams will meet Jan. 7 in New Orleans. Should one team stumble, idle Ohio State (BCS No. 3) will moonwalk into the title game.

The only way things get muddled -- and this season, anything can happen -- is if both Missouri and West Virginia lose. Potential 2-loss teams like Georgia, Virginia Tech, LSU, Oklahoma and USC could suddenly enter the mix.

But Pat White, Steve Slaton and Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt won't allow that to happen. So get ready for Mountaineers-Tigers or Mountaineers-Buckeyes.

The unfortunate thing is that this season, perhaps more than any other, demonstrates why a playoff system is needed. The BCS clarity might be nice for conference commissioners, but can any of us identify the two best teams?

West Virginia has a compelling case. The Mountaineers' lone loss came in a game in which White missed the second half with an injury. Then again, falling to a South Florida team that collapsed in late October doesn't look great.

Missouri's only loss came at Oklahoma, and the Tigers have since won six straight games. Still, a defense ranked 60th overall and 103rd against the pass doesn't scream national champion.

Every team has a blemish.

Ohio State lost at home. Georgia didn't reach its conference title game. LSU constantly fell behind in games despite having superior talent. Kansas lost the first time it faced a top-tier opponent. Oklahoma lost to mediocre Colorado. Virginia Tech lost to LSU by 41 points. Hawaii, the nation's lone unbeaten team, didn't play any teams ranked in the top 15. USC lost to Stanford! At home!

It would be thrilling to see this flawed field face off in a playoff.

We could watch Ohio State actually earn its spot in the title game. We could watch USC, Georgia and Virginia Tech -- three teams that saved their best for November -- continue to surge or stumble. We could watch Hawaii play one of the teams it tried to schedule before the season.

Maybe the outcome would still be Missouri-West Virginia, maybe it wouldn't. Too bad we'll never find out.

As several e-mailers pointed out, maybe I should stick to writing and not picking games. An 0-4 week was utterly embarrassing, but in this season of second chances, I deserve one.

Here are my conference championship picks.

Miami (Ohio) vs. Central Michigan (at Detroit), 10 a.m., ESPN

The skinny: Despite an awful nonconference showing, Central Michigan is clutch in MAC games.

Virginia Tech vs. Boston College (Jacksonville, Fla.), noon, Channel 7

The skinny: The Hokies flummoxed Matt Ryan for 56 minutes last time. They can do it again.

Tennessee vs. LSU (at Atlanta), 3 p.m., Channel 2

The skinny: There are a lot of reasons why LSU could lose -- national title hopes dashed, coach possibly leaving -- but it won't.

Missouri vs. Oklahoma (at San Antonio), 7 p.m., Channel 7

The skinny: With two stellar offenses, I'm going with the better defensive team.